Composite prestressed concrete beam and slab structure



C. P. CUENl Feb.1 17, 1948.

COMPOSITE PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BEAM AND SLAB STRUCTURE Filed March 31. 1943 4 sheets-sheet 1 C. P. CUENI Feb. 17, 1948.

COMPOSITE PHESTRESSED CONCRETE BEAM 'AND SLAB STRUCTURE Filed March 3l, 1943 NVENTOR. (/ef/f/@n/ /Da'a/ 5060/' Y Feb. 17, 1948. c, P, CUENl 2,435,998

COMPOSITE PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BEAM AND SLAB STRUCTURE Filed March (5l, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 I N V EN TOR. (7eme/vf Paa/ Z/en/ 4Feb. 17, 1948. c. P. cul-:N1 I 2,435,998

COMPOSITE PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BEAM AND SLAB STRUCTURE Filed March 31, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ject to numerous disadvantages.

Patented Feb. 17, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT'ori-Icev COMPOSITE PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BEAM AND SLAB STRUCTURE Clement Paul Cueni, Arlington, N. J., assigner to Poi-ete Mfg. Company, North Arlington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 31, 1943, Serial No. 481,361

(Cl. l2- 61) claims. 1

The present invention is directed to composite construction consisting essentially of a precast,

prestressed reinforced concrete beam and a.

poured in place reinforced concrete slab, the

Ytwo elements connected together by an effective Prestressed reinforced concrete had previously vlo been proposed and some use thereof has been made in structures. However, it has been sub- For instance, it has been customary to apply such prestressing in the field, but the prestressing of the reinforcing bars has required such a large force that it was diicult to provide the necessary machin- .ery and the auxiliary equipment together with the skilled labor, to allow 'it to be economically applied. It has also been practically impossible\ to obtain uniform results in the eld because of the practical impossibility cf obtaining uniform and reproducible conditions of operation.

Such prestressed concrete units have also been made in the factory, where it is convenient to apply the prestressing to the reinforcing bars. However, such structures require that each element or unit be produced independently of the other and, as a result no cooperation between the various units has been obtained. Therefore, the full advantages which might result from such prestressed construction has heretofore not been obtainable.,

Another lconstruction which had previously been used embodied a steel beam which was connected to a concrete slab by suitable shear reiny forcements so that the -parts did act as a single unit, the steel sustaining the tensile stresses and the concrete sustaining the compressive stresses. Such a construction was quite costly, in that a relatively large amount of steel was required therein. The amount of steel was such that it very substantially increased the cost of construction. Furthermore, because the steel beam was exposed, it was necessary in many structures to fire-proof the same, and this required an additional and substantial expense.

A con-siderable amount of steel might be saved vif high carbon steel with a yield point of 3 to 5 times that of the ordinary reinforcing steelcould be used in reinforced concrete construction.

However, vthis is not ordinarily possible because reaching its yield point. The resulting deflection would be excessive, and-the concrete would 'be crushed long before the ultimate strength of the steel could be developed. Excessive cracks in the concrete would occur on the tension side of the beam, thereby destroying the bond of the concrete to the reinforcement, and thus making the combination of steel and concrete ineffective.

By prestressing the high tensile steel reinforcement up to of its strength before the concreteY is poured, and releasing .the prestressing force after the concrete has set, such compressive stresses will be introduced into the concrete. that it can be stressed in tension as well as in `compression without developing cracks, and the full strength of the reinforcement is developed. Besides saving a considerable .amount of steel such a prestressed concrete construction has many technical advantages.

The present invention is intended and adapted to overcome the disadvantages and diiiiculties inherent in prior structures of the types discussed above, and to provide a composite structure in which a part thereof may be produced in a, -factory and the remainder in the field, to give a unitary and cooperative eiect.

It is also among the objects of the present invention to provide a reinforced concrete composite structure in which some of the elements are prestressed and others are not prestressed and said elements -are caused to act as a single statical unit.

It is also among .the objects of the present invention to provide a composite structure which has a substantially greater strength than the' component elements thereof, which shows a high resistance to bending moments, and which develops a relatively low stress at design loads.

According to the present invention a prestressed reinforced concrete beam, that is precast in a plant, where no difiiculties are encountered in prestressing the reinforcing bars, is reliably and effectively connected to a. poured in place concrete slab in such a Way that both elements act as one statical, monolithic unit. The poured in place concrete slab sustains the compressive stresses and the precast beam is prestressed in such a way that no tensile cracks occur when it sustains the tensile stresses. Thus all the advantages of poured-in-place prestressed concrete are achieved.

Tensile and shrinkage cracks -in the concrete are eliminated, and development of the full strength of high tensile steel reinforcement is high strength concrete, which is essential for pre stressed concrete construction.v can best be made in a plant where the conditions for an accurate, uniform mixture are much more favorable than in the eld. If the concrete used is not of high quality many of the advantages of prestressed concrete cannot be attained. and the bond strength may be too low to develop the full.

strength inherent in the high tensile steel reinforcement. l

A prestressed concrete beam composite structure has great advantages compared with all heretofore known constructions used in floors for buildings and bridges. It requires 85% to 95% less steel than a plain steel beam construction, has considerably less deflection under load, provides more lateral stiffness and forms a homogeneous floor system, more adapt to sustain impact. It requires 70% to 80% less steel than a steel beam composite construction and provides vthe same rigidity. It requires 65% to '15% less steel than a reinforced concrete T beam construction, which has 50% more dead load, and produces tensilel cracks. For long spans the heavy dead load of a reinforced concrete beam is a big disadvantage.

It requires less tensile steel than a, poured in place prestressed T beam section and has' lower stresses in the concrete at thedesign load. The .concrete required for the poured-in-the-eld slab of the composite section is of normal quality, and does not require more care than any reinforced .concrete work.

Compared with a. precast prestressed concrete beam, not used together with the poured-ln-place concrete slab to form a composite section, the advantages of the section according to the present invention are extensive. Less compression area isrequired because the compressive stresses are sustained by the poured-in-place concrete slab, and since the lever arm for the steel is increased much less steel is required for the same bending moment. The resisting moment of a plain prestressed beam is increased by 80% to 120% if a composite section is formed with the poured-inplace concrete slab. Used as a composite section the prestressed concrete beam does not require such high quality concrete as does a single prestressed beam. This is an advantage, for the manufacture of a concrete with an ultimate strength of 8,000 pounds per square inch or more is not yet a simple proposition.

A prestressed beam required for a composite section is much lighter than the' equivalent plain prestressed beam, and, therefore, there is a saving in cost of handling, shipping and erection.

A structure according to the present invention is not merely a combination of prestressed reinforced concrete and composite construction, as it seems to be, but 9, new structure with properties heretofore thought impossible to achieve in reinforced concrete or steel construction.

In the diagram of the stresses at the design load, and in the procedure and -the formulas of the designare two clear indications that the structural unit according to the present invention is' something new and quite diiferent from anything heretofore known in the art.

-iA diagram of the stresses in a'concrete beam.

after the design load. is applied, that shows no tensile stresses in the tension part of the concrete. and only small compressive stresses in the com pression side, is indeed unusual. Yet, all materials are as fully utilized las in any other type of construction. A reinforced concrete T beam has some similarity in the compression in the concrete on the compression side. but has tensile stresses on the tension side, up tothe neutral axis, most always even tension cracks in the concrete. 1 A prestressed reinforced concrete section has some similarity on the tension side. but the compressive stresses increase from the bottom of the section toward the top to reach a compression of high magnitude at the extreme fiber of the compression side. The stress diagram at the design load of any section, steel or concrete or reinforced concrete, or any composite section, looks quite different from the stress diagram of a prestressed beam composite section.

The same is true of the design of such a sec- I tion. It is different from that of a single prestressed beam and also different from that oi' a' steel beam composite section. It is similar to the design of a reinforced concrete T beam sec-Y l tion but only so for the ultimate 1oad, whereas the design for working stress is entirely different. As long as the prestressed beam is under compression, it will act in a similar way as'a steel beam, namely. it can sustain tensile stresses. Since the design is made under the assumption that, at the design load, no tensile stresses shall occur at the bottom' of the precast beam, the computation of the section for the design load is similar to that of a steel beam composite section.

If more than the design load is applied, the compressive stresses in the bottom of the concrete will gradually change to tensile stresses and finally, when the tensile strength of the concrete is reached, the concrete will crack. From then on the section will act like a reinforced concrete T-beam and has to be designed as such.

If the precast prestressed beam is erected without temporary intermediate supports, and. therefore, has to carry the dead load alone, without benet from the composite section of the slab, three steps are required in computing the stresses of such a beam.

a. For the computation of the stresses in thev prestressed beam due to the dead load: It is assumed that the precast beam is acting like any prestressed reinforced concrete beam.

b. For the computation of the stresses in the composite section due to the live load: It is assumed that the composite section acts in a similar way as a steel beam composite section, the poured-in-place concrete slab sustaining the compressive stresses, and the prestressed concrete of the precast beam sustaining the tensile stresses.

c. For the computation of the ultimate load: It is assumed that the composite section acts like a reinforced concrete T-beam section, the poured-in-the-fleld concrete slab sustaining the compressive stresses and the bottom steel of the precast beam, the tensile stresses.

All prestressed beam composite sections have to be checked for ultimate load, for the assumption of a certain working stress for the steel does not always mean a corresponding factor of safety as it doesl in other types of construction.

Such a design is very unusual and together -with the dill'erent stress diagram proves the novelty ofthe construction that is the object o! the present invention. v

s annesse To force the precast prestressed beam to act together with the poured-in-place concrete slab. an effective shear connector is required and the problems involved in designing such a connector are quite different from those in designing a connector for a composite section that uses a steel beam for the tension member. Any shear reinforcement can effectively be connected to a steel beam in a simple and economical way, for instance, by welding. With a prestressed 'concrete beam this is not so. Stiff shear reinforcements such as I-beam or T-beam sections-which, welded to a steel `beam form an effective shear reinforcement, cannot be used for several reasons, unless they are effectively connected toV an anchoring bar embedded in the precast beam.

Stirrups, sticking out of the precast beam and reaching into the concrete slab, may be effective for small shear per unit length but are too coinplicated and not effective for heavy shear, for the transmission of the shear into the concrete slab is too concentrated and not uniform. Besides, the stirrups may be bent in handling and erecting the beams, and, therefore, not reach as well into the concrete slab, as assumed in the -connected to the precast prestressed beam in the following way, for example:

The rod or bar is embedded in the top of the precast. beam, and is connected by welding to a longitudinal bar which is entirely embedded in the precast beam. 'I'he beam is prestressed in such a way that this bar and the concrete in top of the beam will be under compression at 4any stage of loading. This is quite important, because if the top of the precast beam is stressed in tension, as it will be in any composite section where the neutral axis falls outside the beam. the anchoring of the shear reinforcement will not be effective.

Another way to effectively connect the shear reinforcement to the precast beam, according tothe present invention, is to weld a spi-ral on both sides of a longitudinal bar, embed one of them in the precast beam and the other in the vpouredin-place concrete.

In still another construction -those reinforcingv bars of the poured-in-place slab that run perpendicular to the beam may be prestressed and the prestress force released after the concrete has set. The concrete of the slab placed under high pressure will press against the top flange of the precast beam and. prevent any relative movement of concrete slab and precast beam. Since this prestress can be predetermined at will and the beam more or less embedded in the poured-in-place slab to adjust the pressure area to the need, this novel type of shear connection can be used alone without any other shear `reinforcement. or it can be used in conjunction with shear connectors, such as the spiral, to -iil-v crease their efficiency. l

A horizontal shear of 4,000 pounds per lineal inch is quite considerable, even for heavy construction. Assuming the beam is embedded 1.25" in the concrete slab, a prestress of 1200 pounds per square inch will be enough to take -oareof` the total shear. This prestressing of the pouredin-place concrete slab will make it possible to -s-afely Iuse less effective shear connectors, like stirrups or to -use lighter connectors.

A prestressed beam composite section according to the present invention can well be designed and erected as continuous over several spaced supports, though the precast beams are spliced over the supports. Such a beam has great advantages, with respect to economy and stiffness. as compared with a simple span prestressed beam composite section.

Prestressed concrete beams may be used for continuous spans. Either they are poured in the field with all the difficulties involved or they may be precast, with top and bottom flange crosssection similar and with -the same prcstressing to take care of positive and negative moment. This is a great disadvantage, because at the place .of the positive moment the compression in thevconcrete due to prestressing will add to the compression due to the bending moment. This means very high concrete stresses and requires a high strength concrete, not yet easy to manufacture in a plant and almost impossible to achieve in the field. -Besides, a precast beam would have to be made in the full length of the continuous spans, because splicing is not possible. With precast beam composite construction both disadvantages Vare eliminated.

At the negative 4moment over the supports. steel bars are placed into the poured-in-place concrete slab to sustain the tensile stresses. The compressive stresses in the bottom of the 4beam have to be sustained V-by the concrete. This prepart hereof and in which like reference charac ters indicate like parts:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing a prevstressed reinforced concrete beam and the stress diagrams thereof;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing a composite structure including the same beam as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view anda side view of a. composite structure made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the `structure shown in Fig. 3 to more clearlyillustrate some details thereof;

Fig. 5 is a view similar toFig. 3 modified form of the invention;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing a modification of the structure of` Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a view showing a fragmentary crosssection and a side elevation of a modified form of construction using a sinuous shear reinforcement; i Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary crossshowing .a

"sectional view of a beam having shear reinforcements of a modified oharacter'integrally formed therewith:

Fig. 9 is a vvertical cross-sectional-view of a aecomo modified form of precast, prestressed beam par ticularly adapted for light construction;

Fig. is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a composite structure embodying a beam similar to that of Fig. 9 but utilizing a diierent form of shear reinforcement;

Fig. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a modiiied form of composite structure in which -the slab element is prestressed:

Fig. 12 is a view of a modication similar to Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view and a side elevational view of a structure similar to Fig. 10 but having a wire mesh shear reinforcement;

Fig. 14 is a side elevational view of a structure embodying at least two prestressed concrete beams interlinked in such a manner as to form a continuous beam structure;

Fig. 15 is a top plan view thereof f Fig. 16 is a vertical cross-sectional view there? `steel wires that are required to prestress the cone crete. The concrete area of the web 2 is comparatively thin because prestressed-concrete, due to higher strength of the concrete and the web reinforcement, and due to the prestressing can sustain high unit shear. Top ilange 3 is comparatively heavy because enough area has to be provided to sustain the compressive-stresses of the beam. The high strength tensile wires l may be prestressed up to 80% of the yield point. and kept prestressed during the pouring and setting 0f the concrete. Once the concrete has suillcient strength to sustain the prestressing, the prestressing force is released and the steel wires, having the tendency to go back to their original length, will introduce compressive stresses into the concrete which thereby is made capable of sustaining high tensile stresses without developing cracks. Top reinforcement 5 may consist of high tensile steel wires, prestressed or not prestressed, or may consist of ordinary reinforcing bars, not prestressed. The top reinforcement is required to prevent the top of the beam from cracking.

Diagram b shows the stressesproduced in the concrete by releasing the highly prestressed bottom wires. In the bottom part ofthe beam .considerable compressive stresses. shown by the arrows 8, are produced which,due toeccentricity,

ldecrease toward the top to become tensile stresses at the upper part of the beam, as shown by arrows 1. At c is shown the stresses produced by the release of the prestressed top wires. 'Ihe arrows t represent the compressive stresses, which are at the upper part ofthe beam, and I- represents the tensile stresses which are at the lower part.

Diagram d indicates the prestresses in the concrete due to top and bottom wires together. The whole concrete area. of the beam is under compression as is indicated by the arrows 8. Diagram e illustrates the stresses produced in the concrete by the applied load (dead load pluslive load). In the bottom it is tension, indicated by arrows 1, and in the top it -is compression. indicated by arrows i.

4was -assumed in the stress diagrams.

The stress diagrams d and e superimposed give @stress diagram f, which shows the stress in the concrete ,of the prestressed beam at the design lbad. There is a considerable compressive stress .in the upper part of the beam. as indicated by arrows 8, and no stress at all in the bottom, or lonly a small tensile stress or small compressive stress, whichever is desired. Ihis is the outstanding feature of prestressed reinforced concrete, no

l0 .stresses,.or only negligible ones, in the bottom vof the beam'or slab, after the design loadhas been applied.

Fig. 2a is a cross-section of a beam similar to the one shown in Fig. la, but combined witha )5- poured-in-place concrete slab, to form a come posite section. 'I'he concrete area of the top flange need not be so great, since m'ost of the compressive stresses will be sustained by the poured-in-place concrete slab 8. If the composite zu section' isdesigned to resist the same bending f moment as the beam of Fig. 1a, the required steel area-would be about half thereof. If the steel 'l area is the same, the composite section will sustain a bending moment twice as great. The latter In many cases, the prestressed wiresl or rods 5 in the top can be omitted and be replaced by an ordinary reinforcing bar I0 which also serves to. anchor the spiral in the top flange of the prestressed concrete beam. Spiral or sinuous shear connector or reinforcement 9 is designed to transmit the horizontal shear between the precast beam and `the poured-in-place concrete slab. The spiral 9 is welded to longitudinal anchoring bar I0. The

vstress diagrams 2b, 2c and 2d are exactly the same as lb, lc and ld. Both beams are identical and have the same prestresses until they are erected and the load is applied.

Beam la has to sustain the total bending mo- 4o ment. as shown by stress diagram le. The same -prestressed beam in Fig. 2a, acting together with the-poured-in-place concrete slab, sustains only the tensile stresses 1, the compressive stresses 6 being sustained by the concrete slab. Since the Jneutral axis is located much higher than in the simple beam, the tensile stresses are about the same despite twice as great a bending moment. In a case as here assumed, where temporary supports are used during pouring and setting of 5o the concrete, there are almost no compressive stresses produced in the prestressed beam, since most of the compressive stresses are sustained by the pgured-in-place concrete, as indicated by ar.

rows

Fig. 2f shows the diagram of the concrete t stresses of the composite section at the design load. The whole concrete section is under compression as indicated by arrows 6. ItY is remarkable that there are no tensile stresses at w the design load, as shown by stress diagrams if and 2f, and even more remarkable that there are only veryl small compressive tresses in diagram 2f. as compared with diagram if, and this despite the factthat the bending moment applied .5 to the composite section is twice as great as the bending moment applied to beam I. This small stress throughout the whole section is an advantage, especially so with respect to dynamic loading.

In the composite beam structure shown in Fig.

`Si, the area of the top flange is reduced asw much as possible so it just covers the shear reinforcement.. No large area is required for the compresesion. because the poured-in-place concrete slab f I lfilkareot moet compression. .-.Anchoringber Il connects spiral 9 to spiral II, the latter being embedded in the precast beam. Spiral 9, anchoring bar I and spiral Il are welded together and placed as one unit into the form before the concrete is poured. I2 shows the web of the beam at the point of support, increased in thickness to take careof the shear. No high tensile steel reinforcement need be used in top of the beam, anchor bar IIJ having enough area to take care of the possible tensile stresses. However, bars 5, which are prestressed, may be used as shown in Fig. 4. l

In the embodiment of Fig. 5, the spiral 9 is embedded in the precastbeam and also in the poured-in-place concrete slab; therefore, no spiral II is required. However, prestressed top reinforcement 5 is required to produce compression stresses in the top of the beam to anchor the spiral well into the precast beam. T o make the anchoring still more effective, inclined stirrups I3 are placed around the bottom reinforcement and around the spiral 9 and bar I0. These stirrups I3 also serve as web shear reinforcements.

The fragmentary view of Fig. 6 shows a modiiication of the structure of Fig. 5. Anchoring bar I0 is fully embedded in beam 2 and the spiral 3 is welded to the top thereof. The concrete is cast about the welded junction to such an extent that the lower part of spiral 9 is also embedded therein.

In Fig. 7, there is provided anchoring bar I0, which is welded to bar I4, which is bent into theshape of a waved line and is embedded in the precast beam and will be embedded in the pouredin-the-eld concrete slab. The alternate nodes of shear member I 4 are welded to alternate sides of bar I 0.

Fig. 8 shows a shear connector similar to that shown in Fig. 7, but one that is able to transmit much heavier shear. There are provided two anchoring bars In and two shear connectors I4 consisting of bars, wave-like in shape, and welded alternately on the left and right side to each of the anchor bars I0, and embedded in the precast beam -and the poured-in-place concrete slab. Stirrups I3 are used to anchor the shear connectors more effectively to the precast beam. and also as shear reinforcement of the web.

Fig. 9 is a cross-section of a precast beam suit able for light construction. A shear connector ills welded to anchor bar Ill. It consists of a bar of wave-like shape welded always on the same side at touching points to the anchor bar.

The loops of the shear bar are bent alternately in opposite directions to distribute the shear in the concrete over a wider area.

Fig. 10 shows a cross-section of a precast beam .similar to the one shown in Fig. 9. Both of these Abeams have a suitable shape to support a ller block, which at'the same time serves as an insulation and replaces the formwork. It makes an economical floor construction suitable for insti-4 tutional buildings and apartment houses. Shear bar I6 consists of a bar bent into wave-like shape, and is embedded in the precast slab. extending out of the top thereof to be embedded in the poured-in-the-eld concrete slab. Filler block IT serves as an insulation and the formwork. It is placed between two adjacent beams and makes possible a simple and speedy erection. I9 represents the reinforcement of the poured-in-thefield concrete slab.

In Fig. 11, 2 is the upper part of the web of a precast beam that has no top flange. 5 1s the top reinforcement and 3 is the poured-in-place concrete slab, I3 represents the Stirrups in the beam and I8 represents the reinforcing bars of the slab that run perpendicular to the lungitudinal axis of the beam. If these reinforcing bars consist of high tensile steel wires and are prestressed, they will introduce compressive stresses into the concrete slab, perpendicular to the side faces of the beam, as indicated by arrows I9, and produce considerable pressure of the concrete against the precast beam, and thus prevent any slip. To increase the effectiveness of the connection and especially to prevent uplift of the slab, the top of the beam may form a dovetail, as indicated at 2li.

Fig. 12 is similar to Fig. 11, the difference being the omission of the dove-tail top of the precast beam, and the use of the Stirrups I3 instead tol prevent uplift of the slab. The stirrups of the beam stick out and reach into the poured-inthe-field concrete slab. Any shear reinforcement may be used in conjunction with the prestressing of the slab to effect a reliable connection of precast beam and concrete slab.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 13, which is similar to Fig. 10, no top flange is necessary. There is provided a shear reinforcement 2| for the web, consisting of welded wire mesh, or expanded metal. At the same time, it connects effectively the precast beam to the poured-in-thefield concrete slab. To anchor the wire mesh more effectively in the slab or the beam, some or all of the wires may be bent as indicated by 22. One wire may be heavier than the other and the heavier -one may be perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the beam. or inclined toward the support of the beam as shown in Fig. 13b.

In Figs. 14, 15 and 16 there is illustrated a prestressed beam used for continuous construction over a series of several supports, only one of which is shown. The spirals 9 of the two precast beams, which are placed end to end over a support, overlap at 2l. The web 2 and the anges I and 3 are widened at 23 to take care of the increased shear stresses and the compression at the bottom of they beams, due to the negative moment. Tensile reinforcements 25 of the negative moment are placed in the top of the pouredin-place concrete slab. 23 is a bearing plate for the support (not shown). 21 represents the reinforced concrete support diaphragm, poured in place to make possible the transmission of the compressive stresses between two adjacent beams. To make a continuous beam designeconomical, three or more spans are provided. In such a structure, the stresses over an interi-or suplJOrtare opposite to those in a single span beam. Compression is at the bottom and tension at the top.

In Fig. 17, anchoring bar I0 is of considerable stiffness, and preferably is a, flat bar placed upright in the concrete in the ange 3 of the beam. Shear connector 23, in the shape of a channel, is well connected to anchor bar I0, preferably by welding along three sides, as shown by 29. To resist the uplifting of the slab, shear connector 30, which is in the shape of a T section, is inclined toward the center of the beam. Connector 3l in the shape of an I beam, has part of one flange cut and bent, as shown by 32, to resist the vertical component of the horizontal shear. Such stiff shear connectors if well connected to a rigid anchoring bar, which is well embedded in the prestressed beam, and preferably anchored to it by Stirrups, may be of advantage for heavy construction. The transmission of the horizontal shear is eected through compression of the flat I il; surfaces (perpendicular to the axis of the beam) of the shear connectors against the poured-inthe-field concrete.

As shown in Fig. 18, shear ponnector I3 is a fiat bar with an end hook 34, for better anchoring in the poured-intheii`eld concrete slab. One or more of the top reinforcing bars pass through a hole in the connector, thereby anchoring it well to the precast beam. Shear connector 35 is similar, only the wires 5 pass through both ends of the bar, which forms one large hook. These shear connectors may be single, alternating along the sides of the beam, or they may be arranged in pairs.

Fig. 19 shows another connector 36 in the form of a hooked bar, both ends of which are welded to anchoring bar I0. The hooks are inclined in the direction of the horizontal shear, as shown in Fig. 19h. Fig. 20 shows a shear connector 3l, similar to 33, consisting of single hooks Welded to anchoring bar lil.l These hooks may be used in pairs or alternately welded. to the sides Iof the anchoring bar, and are inclined in the direction of the horizontal shear. Prestressed top wires may be used to prestress the top flange of the beam.

Although I have described the invention setting forth a number of variations in the mechanical arrangement of theparts to obtain the desired results, theseveral modifications so set forth are not to be considered as limiting the invention. They are intended to illustrate the scope of the invention, and illustrate the fact that many embodiments are possible. Therefore. the invention is tobe broadly construed and not to be limited, except by the character of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A composite structure comprising a beam of concrete having a top ange, longitudinal reinforcing rods of steel therein, said rods being prestressed, a shear reinforcement member of steel embedded within said beam and extending above the top flange thereof, said member being in substantial contact with at least one of said rods and being gripped by concrete under compression, a concrete Islab on top of said beam and united therewith through said shear member.

42. A composite structure comprising a beam of concrete havinga top flange, longitudinal reinforcing rods of steel therein, said rods being prestressed, a shear reinforcement member of steel embedded within said beam and extending above the top ange thereof, said member being welded to at least one of said rods and being gripped by concrete under compression, a concrete slab on top of said beam and united therewith through said shear member.

3. A composite structure comprising a beam of concrete having atop flange. longitudinal reinforcing rods of steel therein, said rods being prestressed, a shear reinforcement member of steel fastened to a longitudinal -bar and embedded within said beam and extending above the top flange thereof, said member being continuous over the length of said beam and being sinuous in form, a concrete slab on top of said beam and united therewith through said shear member.

4. A'composite structure comprising a beam of concrete having top and bottom flanges. longitudinal reinforcing rods of steel therein in both the top and bottom flanges thereof, said rods being prestressed, a shear reinforcement member of steel fastened to a longitudinal bar and embedded within said beam and extending above the.

and bottom rods, a concrete slab on top of said' beam and united therewith through said shear member.

6. A composite structure comprising a beam of concrete having a top flange, longitudinal reinforcing rods of steel therein, said rods being prestressed, a shear reinforcement member of steel extending above the top flange thereof, a sinuous reinforcement within said top flange, a longl tudinal bar, said shear member being united with said sinuous member through said bar, a

concrete slab on top of said beam and united therewith through said shear member.

'7. A composite structure comprising a beam of concrete having top and bottom flanges, longitudinal reinforcing rods of steel therein, said rods being prestressed, a shear reinforcementv member of steel extending above the top flange thereof, a sinuous reinforcement within said toll flange, a longitudinal bar, said shear member being united with said sinuous member through said bar, a concrete slab on top of said beam and united therewith through said shear member, the Width of the upper flange of said beam being sufficient to enclose said sinuous member and being narrower than the lower flange.

8. A composite structure comprising a beam of l concrete having a top flange, longitudinal reinforcing rods of steel therein, said rods being prestressed, a shear reinforcement member of steel extending above the top flange thereof, a sinuous reinforcement within said top flange, a longitudinal bar secured to the top of said sinuousmember and extending above the top surface of said beam, said shear member being united with said bar, a concrete slab on top of said beam and united therewith through said shear member.

9. A composite structure comprising a beam of concrete having a top flange, longitudinal reinforcing rods of steel therein, said rods being prefstressed, a pair of substantially parallel shear reinforcement members of steel embedded within said beam and extending above the top flange thereof, a concrete slab on top of said beam and united therewith through said shear members.

10. A composite structure comprising a beam of concrete having a top flange, longitudinal reinforcing rods of steel therein, said rods being prestressed, a shear reinforcement member of steel embedded withlnsaid beam and extending above the top iiange thereof, said member being continuous o ver the length of said beam, said member being substantially fiat and extending from near the bottom up through the top of said beam, a concrete slab on top of said beam and united therewith through said shear member.

11. A composite structure comprising a beam of concrete having a top ange, longitudinal reinforcing rods of steel therein, said rods being'l prestressed, a shear reinforcement member .of

steel embedded within said beam andv extending above the top flange thereof. a concrete slab on top of said beam embracing a portion of the top thereof and united therewith through said shearl i member, reinforcing elements in said slab, said elements being prestressed, whereby compression in said slabs causes gripping of the top of said beam.

12. A composite structure comprising a beam of concrete, longitudinal reinforcing rods of steel therein, said rods being prestressed, a concrete slab on top of said beam embracing a portion of the top thereof and keyed to it, reinforcing elements in said slab, said elements being prestressed, whereby compression in said slabs causes gripping of the top of said beam.

13. A composite structure comprising a beam of concrete having a top flange, longitudinal reinforcing rods of steel therein, said rods being prestressed, a relatively stiif longitudinal bar in said beam in proximity to said rods, a plurality o shear reinforcement members secured along said bar and extending above the top flange of said beam, a concrete slab on top of said beam and united therewith through said sheax` members.

14. A composite structure comprising a beam of concrete having a top flange, longitudinal re 14 inforcing rods of steel therein, said rods being prestressed, a shear reinforcement member of steel extending above the top flange thereof, a sinuous reinforcement and a longitudinal bar within said top flange, said shear member being united with-said sinuous member through said bar, a concrete slab on top of said beam and united therewith through said shear member, the width of the upper flange of said beam being sufficient to enclose said sinuous member.

CLEMENT PAUL CUENI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 934,378 White Sept. 14, 1909 938,458 Brockhausen 1 Nov. 2, 1909 1,031,079 Meier July 2, 1912 1,597,278 Kahn Aug. 24, 1920 1,990,156 Young Feb. 5, 1935 2,016,616 Schaub Oct. 8, 1935 2,035,662 Maney Mar. 31, 1936 2,035,977 Nichols Mar. 31, 1936 2,058,364 Sorensen Oct. 20, 1936 2,137,009 Stromberg Nov. 15, 1938 2,303,394 Schorer Dec. 1, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 449,485 France Feb. 27, 1913 645,008 France June 25, 1928 755,304 France Sept. 4, 1933 

